We are choosing to take the time to reflect (and share it), not because we have to, but because we believe it matters.

This decision to spend down is both a shift in strategy and how we show up for each other, for our communities, and for the future we want to help shape. Each person on this team has brought their own questions, values, and lived experience into this work. We’ve wrestled with what it means to let go, to act with urgency, and to trust that something more powerful can take root when we do.

While the stories we intend to share in this space are not designed to center us, we understand that leadership requires transparency, especially in philanthropy. And we believe that sharing our reflections – both individual and collective – may help others move forward with courage of their own. 

We offer these stories in the spirit of transparency, accountability, and solidarity. If you’re here to learn, to ask your own questions, or to imagine what a different kind of philanthropy might look like, we hope these reflections help you feel supported.

This is what it looks like to choose strategy over status quo; thoughtfulness over performance; power with, not power over.

New York sits at the intersection of defense and possibility, as authoritarianism rises. It can demonstrate that when communities lead and the government listens, democracy works for everyone. With its deep organizing infrastructure, a history of movement leadership, and philanthropic capacity, New York has the resources to defend people and  model how communities can organize across differences to dismantle authoritarianism through policy, legal channels and collective power. New York offers a model for how to pair immediate defense with long-term transformation. 

We’re honored to share this journey with you.